Chart reading device



Jun 21, 1932. HOUSE 1,863,569

ILLUMINATED CHART READING" DEVICE Filed Aug. 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

FOU HTH SUBDIVISION Time EH2 No. 12

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SA N D PASS GERLACH INVENTQR Horace flause BY W M 13 ATTORNEY June 21, 1932. HQUSE 1,863,569

ILLUMINATED CHART READING DEVICE Filed Aug. 28, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fiazraoe House ATTORNEY Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HORACE HOUSE, OF OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA I ILLUMINATED CHART READING- DEVICE Application filed August 28, 1931. Serial No. 559,859.

This invention relates to a device to aid in reading data from tabulated charts and other sheets, and especially to devices for the use of trainmen in reading time-tables at night. The present invention is also a continuation in part of my application for patent, Serial No. 517 ,247 filed February 1931.

The enginemen of trains are required to carry a time-table of the various trains of the particular district of the division over which they are running. It is necessary for them to compare the position of their train by means of the time-table with the position of other trains in the same district in order to avoid the possibilities of the trains meeting between sidings. This procedure is, of course, especially necessary on a single track line. Due to the fact that the only illumination in the engine cab at night is that provided by the feeble gauge lights and the glare from the fire-door, the reading of the closely spaced and small figures on the timetable, with the aid of such light is a difiicult matter. This difficulty is enhanced by the rocking and swaying movement of the engine and to the fact that the rows of tabulated figures which have to be compared, are frequently spaced a considerable distance apart from each other on the time-table.

The time-table is usually folded to a size to fit into the pocket, and in a short time the creases of the folds become worn considerably, thus eradicating the schedule numbers or rendering the same illegible. means is provided for checking across the time-table sheet from the station times of the trains concerned, and deductions or readings made under these conditions are therefore apt to be inaccurate and in many cases difiicult to make.

The principal object of my invention is to avoid the present uncertain andv inconvenient method by providing a device to hold the time-table and by means of which the time data relative to any train on the sub-division may be brought into close proximity with the base data from which the comparisons are made; and arranged with a device to dem'tely illuminate any desired set of such Also, no

figures. It is not necessary to fold a timetable to thus aline the rows and the user does not have to depend upon the uncertain light of the'cab in reading the figures. The illuminating means is directly associated with the 55 sheet holder and the user may easily read the necessary data regardless of the swaying or jolting of the engine. The device is also made up as a portable unit which may be carried in the hand or the pocket from one point no to another, if desired, and without the timetable being folded.

A. further object I of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims. 7

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my improved apparatus shown as in operation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the device taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary crosssection on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. i is a perspective view of the timetable holding spool, detached from the housing and shown in connection with the timetable.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the datastrip holding slide, detached.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the time-table 1, with which the holding and illuminating device is particularly designed to be used, is of the standard type supplied train- 0 men by the different roads. It consists of a number of flexible sheets connected together at their center of length so as to form a booklet having a certain number of pages. One page is allotted to each'section of a division of the road and carries a number of vertical rows of figures 2, one for each train operating over said section.

These figures give the times of the respecv tive trains with relation to, and are horizontally alined with, the station names 3 on the sheet. To the sides of the station names are rows 4 of oppositely reading Mileage distances from a given point. The list of station names and the accompanying figures 4 are printed only once on the sheet, whereas there are usually a considerable number of the rows 2. As a result certain ones of the rows 2 are some distance from the station and the mileage figures data, and it is hard on the swa in en ine to accuratel line u y a: z:

such data from these widely separated rows.

It is to remedy this objectionable feature, as well as to provide fora better illumination of the time-table at night, thatmy improved holding and illuminating device is provided.

The device comprises a cylindrical tubular barrel 5, open on both ends and provided with a longitudinal slot 6 extending from one end to a point short of the opposite end and having a length greater than the height of a time-table. Removably locked against rotation and on the end of the barrel to which the slot is open, is a cap 7.

Turnably mounted in connection with and extending, from the cap to the opposite end of the barrel is a spool 8, which is also of considerably smaller diameter than the barrel. Fixed on the spool in longitudinally spaced relation is a pair of circular flanges 9 having a running fit in the barrel; the space between the flanges being but slightly greater than the height of the time-table.

A. wire 10 or the like is connected to and eX- tends between the flanges adjacent and parallel to the spool; this wire serving as a means for attaching the time-table to the spool in the self-evident manner shown in Fig. 4;, so that the time-table may be wrapped about the spool without slippin In mounting the spool and the time-table in connection with the barrel,

said time-table is initially wound on the spool and the latter is then inserted in the barrel while the outer end of the time-table is engaged with the slot 6. The cap 7 is then looked against rotation, and to prevent the outer end of the time-table from then slipping through the slot 6, I apply a spring clip 11 thereto, having opposed jaws or gripping elements 12 extending the full height of the time-table and engaging the same, and which may be used as a means to pull the time-table out.

To roll the time-table up after'it has been thus pulled out or unroll-ed, aknob 13 is mounted on the end of the spool outwardly of the cap 7. A sleeve 14 about the spool between the cap and the adjacent flange 9 prevents longitudinal movement of the spool relative tothe cap and barrel.

Mounted on the barrel on both sides of the slot 6 are strip-supporting devices, each comprising a pair of opposed grooved rails 15, extending practically the full length of the barrel between the ends thereof, and adapted are also connected toia flexible tab 19 adapted to project beyond the corresponding ends ofthe rails, whereby the strip unit may be readily slid into or out of place. The tab and barrel are provided with co-operating catch means, such as the well-known snap fasteners used on gloves and other articles,

and as indicated at 20.

By means of this arrangement it will be seen that any rows of thefigures 2 on the time-table may be placed immediately adja= cent the row of the figures 17, so that the necessary comparison and computation may .be easily made without folding the timetable or tracing across fromsuch row 2' to the centrally disposedrow 4 on the timetable. If one side of a page of the time-table:

is being used, it co-operates with a strip 16 on the corresponding side of the slot 6. If

the opposite side of the page is being used,

that strip 16, which isonthe opposite side of the slot 6, is then used in conjunction therewith. The time-table is of course initially engaged with the spool so that the desired page (only one of'which is ever used at a time) is the outermost one of the time-table.

To illuminate the corresponding sets of figures of the two rows 2' and 17 at night, I employ the following structure:

Slidably mounted on one or the other of the co-operating pairs of rails and movable from one end of the same to the other is an opaque housing21 of suitable material, which is open at thev front endand along the bottom adjacent said end. Rail engaging ele ments 22 are fixed on the housing for sliding engagement with the rails. The housing carries a small electric light bulb 23 in its open end, taking its current from one or more dry cells 24 mounted in the housing and removable from the opposite endthereof. This unit therefore is substantially the same in construction and arrangement as the ordinary pocket flash light, and may use the cells which are used in such lights. In addition to the end and bottom openings, the housing has side openings 25 adjacent said end so that the rays from the bulb may project laterally.

By means of the above described arrange-- figures may be easily brought within the range of illumination without disturbing the time-table or shifting the strip 16. This housing being removably associated with its supporting rails, it may be switched from one set of rails to the other in but a few seconds time when necessary.

Although I have particularly described this device as being used in connection with a time-table, it is to be understood that it may also prove of value in connection with charts and tabulated sheets of various kinds, but of a diiferent nature from a time-table.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A chart holding device comprising a barrel having a longitudinal slot, a spool turnably mounted in the barrel and on which the chart is wound with the unwound portion projecting through the slot, and a source of artificial illumination carried by the device and including a lamp mounted on the barrel adjacent the slot and movable lengthwise thereof.

2. A chart holding device comprising a barrel having a longitudinal slot, a spool turnably mounted in the barrel and on which the chart is wound with the unwound por tion projecting through the slot, a lamp, and means slidably supporting the lamp on the barrel for movement lengthwise of and adj acent the slot.

3. A chart holding device comprising a barrel having a longitudinal slot, a spool turnably mounted in the barrel and on which the chart is wound with the unwound portion projecting through the slot, a lamp, guide rails on the barrel on opposite sides of and parallel to the slot, and means supporting the lamp and slidably engaging the rails on either side of the slot selectively.

4. A device to hold a chart, said chart including a sheet having a plurality of vertical '5 rows of figures thereon, said device including a barrel having a longitudinal slot, a spool turnably mounted in the barrel and on which the chart is wound with said sheet uppermost and with the unwound portion projecting through the slot, a strip having a vertical row of figures thereon corresponding to one of the chart rows, mounted on the barrel lengthwise of and adjacent the slot and illuminating means slidably mounted in connection with said strip to illuminate a portion of the same and an adjacent portion of the chart simultaneously.

5. A device to hold a chart, said chart including a sheet having a plurality of vertical rows of figures thereon, said device including a barrel having a longitudinal slot, a spool turnably mounted in the barrel and on which the chart is wound with said sheet uppermost and with the unwound portion proj ecting through the slot, a strip having a vertical row of figures thereon corresponding to one of the chart rows, means to support said strip adjacent and parallel to the slot, and a source of light slidably mounted on said strip supporting means.

6. A chart holding device comprising a barrel having a longitudinal slot, means to adjustably support a chart-sheet in the barrel so that said chart will project through the slot, rails fixed on the barrel to one side of theslot, and a self-contained flash light unit slidably mounted on the rails.

7. A device as in claim 6, said unit including a housing in and adjacent one end of which the light is mounted, the housing having an opening in one side toward the bottom and adjacent the light whereby the rays from the latter may project laterally onto the adjacent portion of the projected chart sheet.

8. A chart holding device comprising a barrel having a longitudinal slot, means to adj ustably support a chart-sheet in the barrel so that said chart will project through the slot, a strip having data thereon corresponding to certain data on the chart sheet, a light device to illuminate adjacent portions of the strip and sheet, and a common means for supporting and guiding said strip and light device parallel to the slot.

9. A chart holding device comprising a barrel having a long1tudinal slot, means to adj ustably support a chart-sheet in the barrel so that said chart will project through the slot, a strip having data on both sides corresponding to certain data on opposite sides of the chart sheet, and means to removably support the strip on the barrel in parallel relation to the slot and along either side of the same selectively.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HORACE HOUSE. 

